Sod and seed calculator

How to estimate sod and seed in five steps

1. Measure the lawn. Type the length and width of each area in feet, or switch to meters. If the lawn is two or three separate patches, press Add an area for each one. If you already know the total, choose Total area and type it in square feet or square meters.
2. Check the waste. Waste starts at 5 percent, which is an assumption for a simple lawn with straight edges. Many people use about 10 percent when the edges curve, because cutting pieces to fit leaves scraps. Change it to match your job.
3. Confirm the pallet size with your farm. Pallets of sod are sold as 400, 450 or 500 square feet in many places, and the calculator starts at 450. That is a starting value, not a fact about your farm. Ask your farm how many square feet are on their pallet and type that number.
4. Add the seed label if you are seeding. Seed has no starting value, because the label on your bag sets the rate. Type the pounds per 1,000 square feet from your label and the pounds in one bag. The calculator then shows the pounds and the bags.
5. Add your own prices if you like. Type the price you were quoted, per pallet, per slab or per square foot for sod, and per bag or per pound for seed. Add starter fertilizer, soil preparation or delivery if they are on a quote. Compare a few bids per square foot, then print a bilingual sheet to bring to your supplier.

What this calculator does, and what it does not

This page turns the size of a lawn into a quantity: how many pallets, slabs or rolls of sod to ask for, or how many pounds and bags of seed. It is an estimate, not a quote and not a plan.

It does not know your soil, your sun, your climate or your grass. It makes no claim about whether a lawn will grow, how much to water, which kind of grass suits your yard, whether the ground is ready or whether seed will sprout. Your supplier, your farm and the label on your bag are the places to ask about those.

How the area is worked out

For each rectangle the calculator multiplies length by width. If your lawn is an L shape, split it into two rectangles and add both. If it has a round bed or a curved edge, measure the rectangle around it and then use a higher waste number, since you will be cutting pieces to fit.

In metric, the lengths are converted with the fixed definition of a foot, 0.3048 meters, so 10 meters by 10 meters is 100 square meters, which is about 1,076.39 square feet. The farm and the seed label usually speak in square feet and pounds, so the calculator shows both systems.

A worked example: a 1,000 square foot lawn

Say a front lawn is 25 feet by 40 feet, which is 1,000 square feet. With 5 percent waste, the order is 1,000 times 1.05, which is 1,050 square feet.

If the farm sells pallets of 450 square feet, 1,050 divided by 450 is 2.3333, and you cannot buy a third of a pallet, so the calculator rounds up to 3 pallets. If the farm sells slabs, each one 16 by 24 inches, which is about 2.67 square feet, the same 1,050 square feet is 394 slabs. If it sells large rolls of 10 square feet, that is 105 rolls.

A second example: a 40 by 60 foot lawn is 2,400 square feet. With 10 percent waste for curves, the order is 2,640 square feet. On pallets of 500 square feet, 5.28 pallets rounds up to 6. That is 990 slabs or 264 large rolls.

Pallets, slabs and rolls

Sod comes in a few shapes. A slab is a flat piece, often 16 by 24 inches, which is a little under 2.67 square feet. A large roll is often 10 square feet, and a mini roll 5 square feet. Which one you get depends on the farm and the region, so the calculator shows all of them and you use the one that matches your quote.

A pallet is a stack of pieces sold by the square foot. In a sod farm's own guide, pallets of slabs and mini rolls are described as 400, 450 or 500 square feet, and large-roll pallets run larger, from about 500 to 700. That is why the pallet size is a box you type in and not a fixed number.

Because each count is rounded up on its own, the pallets, slabs and rolls are three different ways to describe the same lawn, not three things to add together.

Why waste is added

You rarely lay sod with no scraps. Edges, corners, sprinkler heads and curves all need pieces cut to fit, and a piece can break when it is moved. Seed spills and spreads a little past the edges. Running short partway through a job is a bigger problem than having a few pieces left over.

The starting value of 5 percent is an assumption for a simple lawn, and 10 percent is a common choice when there are curves. Neither is a rule. A small, square lawn may need less, and a lawn with many beds, trees or odd corners may need more. Ask your farm what they suggest.

How seed is worked out

Seed is bought by weight and spread by area. Your bag label gives a rate in pounds per 1,000 square feet. The calculator takes the area with waste, divides by 1,000, multiplies by your rate, and shows the pounds. Divide that by the pounds in one bag and round up, and you have the bags.

As an example only, suppose a label said 8 pounds per 1,000 square feet. That is an example label value, so use the one on your own bag. For 5,000 square feet with 5 percent waste, the area is 5,250 square feet, which is 5.25 thousands, and 5.25 times 8 is 42.0 pounds. With 25 pound bags, 42.0 divided by 25 is 1.68, so you would round up to 2 bags.

There is no starting seed rate on this page on purpose. Labels differ, and the number belongs to your label, not to us.

Prices: you type them

This page holds no price list. If you want a cost, type the price from a quote. Sod can be priced per pallet, per slab or per square foot, and you choose the way you were quoted, so only that price counts. Seed can be priced per bag or per pound, chosen the same way.

A total appears only when every line has a price. If you leave one empty, you still see the quantities, which is the part that does not depend on a price. Starter fertilizer, soil preparation and delivery are optional amounts you type in dollars, and they are added to the total when you fill them in.

How to read a supplier's or installer's quote

Compare quotes for the same work. A low number can leave out something another quote includes. The bid comparison on this page shows each bid per square foot so a small lawn and a large lawn can be compared on the same footing. Use these questions as a starting point.

• How many square feet does the quote cover, and how was that worked out?
• Is the sod priced per pallet, per slab or per square foot, and how big is the pallet?
• Is delivery included, and is there a charge for a small order?
• Who prepares the ground, and what does that include?
• Is old turf removed, and who hauls it away?
• Who lays the sod, and what is in writing about the work?

What an estimate cannot know

A calculator works only from the numbers you type. It cannot see slopes, shade, roots, drainage, soil or the weather. It does not know how a grass type will do in your yard, or what your seed label says about covering and sowing.

If you plan to dig or regrade, call 811, the free number for having buried utility lines marked. For everything about the growing side of a lawn, ask your supplier and read your label.

Your answers and your privacy

The calculator runs in your browser. It has no place to type a phone number, an email or an address, nothing you enter is sent to a server, and nothing is saved when you close the page. Prices you type stay on your screen and are marked as typed by you. Print the sheet if you want to keep the numbers.

Frequently asked questions